For everyone who thinks messy is okay sometimes

Category Archives: home

This fab pillow is made using 5 fat quarters of Terra Australis 2 fabric from Ella Blue (due in stores in September). Of course you can use any fabric you like. But seriously, don’t you this fabric is amazing?

The pillow pattern available. It’s a great project for a beginning quilter or home sewist. The cutting and piecing is very basic. It’s a slip-cover, so no zippers or buttonholes required!

The pillow top is quilted in straight lines – easy peasy!

I’m setting up my Etsy store, so for now, just shoot me an email if you want a hard copy or downloadable PDF.

For those of you in the Bay Area, I’ll be teaching this class at Intrepid Thread in Milpitas, CA , October 3rd.

If you haven’t discovered Intrepid Thread yet, I promise that you will LOVE it! Julie carries modern quilt fabrics at great prices. All of the inventory is online, so you don’t need to be in the Bay Area to indulge yourself.

Here is my latest tassel keychain. This one is about 10″ long and is very full. It’s made with strips of fine cotton batiks, threads, floss, charms and beads. I’ve added a couple closeups so you can see the dangling beads as well as the beads around the neck of the keychain and the wired beads where the tassel attaches to the sterling silver plated split keyring.

Blue tassel – look closely for the beads hanging near the bottom of the tassel

Close up of wired beads and beads around the tassel neck

As I mentioned in my previous post, these tassels make great key rings, purse dangles and curtain tie-backs. You can also hang them from a lamp or use them to decorate the base of a tall candlestick.

Of course I had to include photos of my staff, who help with all stages of production and like to get in every photo.

This home improvement project is eating up huge chunks of my free time, though I have to admit I am enjoying it immensely. When I paint, I am totally immersed in the experience and it’s a great feeling. I love being outdoors. My dogs patiently watch me and seem to be wondering “Why is she hanging out on our turf so much these days?”

Like Elizabeth Barton, I love to create. I love it so much, I’m not going to apologize for my efforts or categorize it any way except to say it’s my art and I love it.

I am a freelance editor of sewing, quilting and craft books and I work from home. Most of the work is done electronically, but at times I have to organize reams of text, photos, samples and illustrations. I have a system to track it all, but I work on more than one book at once so the volume can be daunting. It’s important to know where everything is so I keep as much of it in files as I can.

I know what’s in the pile in this photo, but I need to work with it again today, so it isn’t filed yet.

I like to embrace my messy side and don’t “get” other people’s obsession with organization. However, I admit that ‘Messy’ becomes ‘Stressy’ if I can’t find something I need.